On Your Six
by Meermiss
Summary: POST ME3. Spoilers ahoy. After the crew of the Normandy crash lands on a planet, they look to Garrus Vakarian to get them off the planet and land them safely home. However, fate takes a nasty turn when the Alliance picks up a distress signal from the most unlikely of places... the Citadel itself.
1. The Acting Captain

**Story Notes**

****I own no Mass Effect content, nor the characters. These characters belong to Bioware and the developers of Mass Effect. I am just simply a fan.

I'm also using this as a writing exercise to get in touch with writing different characters; I've found that in my original stories, my characters are becoming rather stale and generic. Hopefully trying to emulate the different characters of this story will help me get out of my funk.

* * *

The alien who leaned against the elevator that night had his eyes closed. He seemed to be incredibly weary; in fact, he seemed to be favouring one side of his body more than the other. He had his head hung, his mandibles slackened, and his entire composure seemed to be one of weary acceptance. However, when the elevator doors opened with a pneumatic hiss, he shrugged himself off the side of the elevator and walked through the doors with a slow pace.

He stuck out one of his talons towards the door, inputting the code and the door gave way for him. It revealed an elaborate room; a fish tank stretched along half of the left-side wall, with plenty of fish from many different planets co-existing inside. The mandibles on the alien's face twitched upwards slightly. He'd feed the fish for her later. But for now, he had a job to do. He walked into the bedroom, to reveal a small office space beside him, with blinking and buzzing monitors. In front of the little office space, there was a display case full of different models of ships. He smiled at that too; she had always had fun with collecting those as they travelled. His brilliant blue eyes scanned the rest of the room; the couch, still with a virtual chess set set up. She always did love to play with Specialist Traynor... granted, she was always walking around, talking with her crew, becoming friends with all of them. She had the belief that they were all a family... all of the men and women that served on the ship. It didn't matter who belonged to what faction; as long as they were on the SSV Normandy, they had a home and a family to return to.

He looked over the rest of the room, and then his jaw slackened a bit, his mandibles spaced out as he let loose a deep sigh. He then walked towards the office space and immediately pulled up a seat at one of her monitors, pressing the illuminated and orange buttons with nimble swiftness. Then, he leaned back and stared at the monitor for just a moment.

He felt so foreign in this seat; while coming into this room was barely an issue for him anymore, he felt bad to sit in this seat. It seemed... unfaithful. He tried to relax, and took off his visor for a moment, rubbing his eyes with the tips of his talons. He set down the visor on the table and opened his eyes, glancing at the names of all of his teammates... his squad mates on Omega. He glanced over the scratching of one name; Sidonis, the one that he thought had betrayed them all. It had been her... She had figured out the truth, that Sidonis wasn't a traitor, just simply a coward. One that he couldn't shoot. She had convinced him to give Sidonis a second chance, to live up to his mistakes.

He grimaced a little and then put the visor back on, fixing it onto the left side of his face with great care, before he opened up the computer in front of him. The screen was blinking at him with a green light, and he typed through the settings until he found the video logs. Plenty of them were there, one for almost every day of the missions that she had served upon the Normandy. He resisted the urge to look at them, and instead he started up a new log, a new journal entry.

He coughed once into his hand and stared at the screen. He hunched his shoulders so as to fit his tall torso into the shot, enough for his scarred face to show. He then made a great sigh.

"Alright... how the hell did you even start one of these? Well... I guess I'm improvising." The turian chuckled a little and shook his head. "What else is new... I'm really not cut out for this crap. But... anyway.

It's been a day since the Reapers were wiped off the face of the universe. I don't know if this is going to count as some new era for all of organic life, so I guess I'll just call it Day One. The SSV Normandy has crash-landed on Eden Prime... the place where it all began with the Reapers and Saren. It's funny how things work out. We're not doing too badly though. We managed to escape from the blast when the Citadel and the Catalyst destroyed the Reapers, and to get to Eden Prime? Not bad at all. It's relatively close to the Sol System, the Apien Crest... hell, most of us will probably see our homes sometime in our lifetime.

It's a grim day, though. When the Reapers were destroyed, EDI went along with it. I knew that she had Reaper technology within her, but I didn't think... I thought maybe that she had enough technology separate from the Reapers that she could survive. She didn't seem to mind though. EDI never does... Joker's taking it alright as well. I feel for the guy... finally finds a bit of love in this universe and then-"

The turian stopped, as if trying to get his bearings. He looked down at his hands and his mandibles quivered a bit. He looked devastated for a quick moment, and then he seemed to regain his composure. His eyes narrowed and he looked back up at the camera, giving a deep sigh.

"This isn't a personal journal. Gotta focus. Repairs should go pretty quickly, actually. Joker managed to get us all out of the worst of it.

We had a little ceremony, for those that had died. Legion, Mordin, EDI, the Admiral... you." The turian grimaced. He didn't feel like going through with this, but honestly... looking at the screen, pretending that someday she would come back and hear it all... he had to address it this way. It was the only way he was going to get through the entire log. He took a deep breath again and continued.

"I didn't put your name up on the wall. I thought you were dead once. The others keep telling me that it's likely idiocy, that there was no way that ANYONE could survive that. But, I'm ignoring them. There are some who voice it out loud, their thoughts about me not putting your name up on the memorial wall, and there are others who are keeping silent, but I know that they're all thinking the same thing... that you're dead. And I'm not going to accept that.

I still haven't gotten to that bar yet. I refuse to think that you have."

He lightly bit his tongue, not enough to puncture with his sharp teeth, but enough to keep his grip. Then he continued.

"You're alive somewhere, Jane Shepard. I know you are. I know you. I don't know if I'll ever see you again until we DO get to that bar, but knowing you're alive will be enough for me. The SSV Normandy has made me Acting Captain until we get off of Eden Prime and bring the Normandy back to the Alliance forces. I intend to give them back their property, at the very least. I'll then see if I can keep the crew together; we've all got our races we have to go back to, but if anyone is going to keep the galactic peace that you put in, it's going to have to be us."

He stared at the screen with focus.

"We'll keep your peace, Shepard. You fought for it. It was everything you wanted. We'll maintain it."

He grimaced a bit, and then nodded. "Right. Well... that's it for now. Vakarian out."

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

- This chapter was written about a half an hour after I completed the game. I don't think I've felt inspired to write so quickly. I always have dreams, but rarely do they translate so well to the paper.

- In this game, Mordin, Legion and EDI all died; Mordin cured the genophage, Legion gave independence to the geth AND the quarians were saved, and the Destroy path was taken. At the end of the game (and much to my delight), my love interest (Garrus) didn't put Shepard's name on the wall and Shepard was seen breathing in the rubble.

- I decided that the place that they crashed was Eden Prime. I looked at the Galaxy Map, located what was close to the Sol System, and saw that the Exodus Cluster was close by, which was where Eden Prime was located. It seemed to me like a poetic place to crash land; the place where it all began. While I understand that the Mass Relay from Sol was connected to Arcturus, it just didn't make sense to me to have it anywhere in the Arcturus systems. So, I'm going to safely assume that Joker was not using the Mass Relays and that the technology gained in the future was enough to propel a ship with full fuel to another star cluster. Definitely a pain in the ass unless Fuel Depots are set up in every single cluster, but not impossible.

- This playthrough was with Liara as an ME1 interest, followed by Garrus for 2 and 3. I made each decision in the game consciously, giving reasons for each one of them, so maybe I'll disclose a chapter on that decision.

- Music listened to:  
Pink - Fucking Perfect

Breaking Benjamin - Without You


	2. Repairs

"It is a good thing that the locals are so gracious, otherwise we would not be taking off as fast as we are." The accented female voice drawled. She was staring at the engine core of the Normandy... or at least Garrus thought that she was. With her helmet, it was almost impossible to know where Tali was looking. For all he knew, she could be looking somewhere completely different. But her face... well... mask was facing towards the engine core, so that was where the turian presumed she was looking. He crossed his arms and nodded.

"Yeah. They've been a big help. After Ash talked to them, it wasn't long before we got the parts that we needed."

Garrus thought back to the Spectre who had been accompanying them around the galaxy. While Ashley wasn't always with them, and still stuck to her guns and to the Alliance, it did come in handy. She could use her influence as Lieutenant-Commander to try to get some supplies from the colonists of Eden Prime. Of course, it helped that she was once stationed here, and that she had fought alongside their commander to save the place. Ashley Williams was well-liked amongst the humans, and Garrus was grateful for that at times. He shook his head slightly. There was no way that he would've gotten the humans to part with their resources so willingly.

Though Tali was still staring at the engine core, she commented, "What's wrong?" Garrus' eyes narrowed a bit. Damn that quarian woman... a very dear friend, but sometimes a man just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts.

"Nothing, I'm good. When can we get off this rock?"

The quarian's mask turned towards him finally and she shrugged. "Hard to say. I wouldn't give it more than a day though. The Normandy really didn't take much damage at all... Joker's flying was incredible."

"When isn't it?" The turian commented wryly. He pushed his body up off of the wall he was leaning against, giving a small grunt of discomfort. Tali noticed.

"How's your injuries?"

"Chakwas says I was lucky to be alive. Gave me the mother of all lectures." Garrus recalled back to when he got this injury... his armor had been a complete and total mess. He had to use a spare set that he had now; a red one that had a comm link attached to it, molding around the scarred side of his face like a glove. He had been running with Shepard and Javik towards the beam of blue light, attaching London to the Citadel. A Reaper had blown up a Mako, sending it flying. He remembered that Shepard had dove down to make sure she wasn't caught by the Mako, but Garrus and Javik hadn't been so lucky. It had landed in front of them, causing them both to go flying, but Garrus had been closer. He remembered how the earth had careened around him, the shock going through his body, wondering if he would lose consciousness here, before Shepard had come and grabbed him, dragging his sorry ass to shelter, Javik right behind her. He had been struggling to keep conscious as Shepard had radio'd for transport, and finally he seemed to realize what was going on when she told Javik to take him into the Normandy.

_"And you have got to be kidding me!"_

He came back to the present to see Tali had approached him, and had placed a hand on his arm. He glanced at her quietly and then shook his head.

"I'll be sure not to do that again. I don't know which one I'd like to face more... the Reaper, or Chakwas."

The quarian laughed a little. "Dr. Chakwas isn't that bad."

"True." The turian tried to flash her a little grin, his mandibles quivering upward. "But she told me to take it easy."

"You're not going to, are you?" The quarian asked with a bit of skepticism.

Garrus started to walk away, waving as he went. "Tali, I've been shot, I've caught a missile with my face, and I've destroyed Reapers, and survived every time." He stopped and looked behind him, smiling genuinely. "I'll be damned if I stop there."

"Take care of yourself, Vakarian. We need you in one piece."

"You too, Tali. The only way we're gonna get off this rock is if you stay focused."

He saw the quarian nod, and then began to walk towards the elevator. He was deep in his thoughts however, as he walked down the hallway. That speech... he had no idea where it came from. It sounded like something that she would have said. Their commander. He chuckled a little and then sighed. He thought back to the commander's idealisms... the thought that she always had in her head that she could save as many lives as she could, even if it meant her own, and even if it was against all odds. The few times that she had no choice, Garrus had watched her make the choice with a great pain on her shoulders. He always felt like he wanted to make those decisions for her... to tell her to relax a little bit before she killed herself with stress. But now that he was in her boots... sure, making jokes with Tali was all well and good, but he knew that with that position, he also had to make the tough decisions.

He stopped at the elevator and stared at the door. Then, he bowed his head a little.

"Jane... I don't envy you now." He murmered as he summoned an elevator to floor two. He stepped into it, and the doors closed behind him. But he wasn't alone in the elevator. A voice came through a speaker in the elevator door.

"Garrus, Admiral Hackett just got into contact with us. He wants to see one of us on vidcom." Samantha Traynor's voice sounded unconfidant through the speaker. "I thought, well... even though you're not Alliance..."

Garrus nodded quietly, then suddenly realized that Traynor wouldn't be able to see him. "Yeah. No problem, Specialist. I'll talk with him."

"Thank you. Sorry to... place that pressure on you. I'm not even sure if you're the right one to talk to him... whether it's Ashley, or even Joker..."

Garrus laughed a little. "Not much command around here, is there? Don't worry, I've got it covered."

"No Garrus. You've done a wonderful job. It's only your second day after all, and we lost her rather quickly-" The voice suddenly stopped, and Garrus' face looked pained. He coughed to break the silence.

"I told you not to worry about it, Traynor."

"Right. I'm sorry."

Garrus could've laughed. Were all humans like this? Well, he knew that they weren't, but they were so concerned about not offending people... it was an admirable quality but it really allowed for a lot of apologies.

"Stop apologizing. It's okay."

"Right. I'm-" There was a quick pause. "Right."

"Damn right." Garrus commented as the elevator stopped at the second floor. He walked out of it, and saw Traynor staring at him with her chocolate brown eyes. She looked completely embarrassed. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but he wasn't entirely sure if it worked. Then, he proceeded into the war room, to have his little meeting with Hackett.

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

- I nearly stopped writing this story all together after some indoctrination theories that I read online. I'm really really glad that I didn't though. I downloaded the PC version of Mass Effect 3, which added in From the Ashes and the Extended Cut DLC for free (Although, EC was already free). So, when I read the theories, they made no bloody sense to me, because of some of the content. However, this fanfic has changed in a sense in my mind; cause dammit all, I want to know how the hell Shepard survived, and if I have to write it myself, I will!

- Music listened to:

Two Steps From Hell - United We Stand, Divided We Fall

CleverNoobNetwork - The Indoctrination Theory (Not music, but certainly enlightening)


	3. Investigations

**Story Notes**

Blausen: Well that's good! I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who's behind on completing the Mass Effect series. Roflmao.

* * *

"It's good to see you alive, Mr. Vakarian."

It was odd to be here, talking to the Admiral in such a way. He couldn't be addressed as a soldier, yet he had done more than most soldiers had ever done. Many soldiers had fought the Reapers, but Garrus was supposedly an expert on them. Hah. Expert. He had barely known more than the rest of them, but because he had stood by Shepard for so long in her Reaper theory, and because he had gotten to see a Reaper up close and personal, he was suddenly an expert. Now, not only was he an expert, he was in charge of an Alliance ship. It wasn't something he could've ever predicted when he left C-Sec all those years ago.

He nodded. "Likewise, Admiral. How are you holding up over there?"

He saw the Admiral stiffen a little in the shoulders and Garrus looked at him quizzically. The Admiral, however, kept his professionalism. It was better than Garrus could've done. "We've sustained heavy damages."

"We all have, Admiral. At least this nightmare is over."

"Yes. I have hope that we can rebuild. The cities are damaged and will take some time, and the Citadel is heavily damaged from the blast, but I don't think I've been this hopeful since the initial Reaper attack."

Garrus had to choke down his words. He hadn't felt so hopeful for the future for about three damn years. Of course, Garrus was one of the few who knew the truth and kept trying to tell everyone else the truth. But, he didn't say anything. As irritated as he was with the Admiral's comment, he knew that the Admiral was regretting not being on board, like the rest of the universe was. He kept his face neutral, so as to enact some kind of diplomacy. How did Shepard do it?

"I'm glad. We crashed on Eden Prime as we were trying to escape the beam. Moreau's navigation really got us out of a tight spot. We managed to obtain some help from the locals, it shouldn't be long before the ship is ready to fly. We'll make a course directly for the Sol System. I understand that this is Alliance property." That hurt to say. He had never thought of it as anything but a home for their ragtag crew.

But Hackett just stared at him in contemplation for a long time. It was almost uncomfortable. Garrus stared back at him for a moment, before he simply commented, "Sir?"

"Vakarian... we have need of your services for a little while longer, if you wish."

Garrus paused for a moment, baffled. "My services?"

"The crew's. The current crew of the SSV Normandy know the ship like no other. They know each system, have even calibrated each system, if Commander Shepard's reports have said the truth."

His thoughts trailed down to the guns, which were practically his pet project, and he nodded humbly. "Yes. Most of us have poured a bit of ourselves into this ship. Why?"

"We have a mission for you."

Garrus raised an eyeridge. "A mission? Can't the Alliance handle it?"

"We could, but then we wouldn't be getting the best, now would we?" Admiral Hackett's amusement seemed to come through the video feed. Garrus was puzzled. How had Shepard dealt with this man for so long? He was confusing.

"We've received a distress signal that we want the Normandy team to investigate, as soon as they're able."

Garrus frowned. "Admiral, I'd like to know why. There have to be plenty of distress signals across the universe right now. What's so special about this one that you need us to investigate?"

The admiral told him the reason. Garrus' mandibles fell slack.

* * *

"Why did you call us here, Garrus?"

Garrus was standing inside of the conference room, beside the war room. Most of the important personnel of the Normandy were sitting at the table. Garrus had his arms folded, leaning against the wall as he examined each and every one. Liara, the asari woman who had voiced the question, was staring at him with a passive look on her face... one of curiosity. Trust the innocent little scientist to be the first to ask questions. At her side sat Ashley Williams, the second human Spectre in the galaxy, staring at Garrus with a sceptical look. Then after Ashley followed James Vega, a likeable human soldier who was a candidate for their N7 program. Beside him sat Joker, their human pilot, and the man that they probably all owed their lives. Beside Joker was Tali, one of Garrus' closest friends on this ship... the closest, now that Shepard was gone. Finally, Javik was there as well; Garrus had no idea why, seeing as he had his vengeance, but he had fought beside the Prothean for so long, Garrus couldn't help but be grateful to have him still around.

He pushed himself off the wall, wincing a little as he had been since the Mako had blown up in his face, and went over to the chair at the end of the table. He leaned on the back of the seat, and stared at each of the crew members in turn.

"I got a communication from Admiral Hackett."

The humans at the table all seemed to sit a little straighter, meanwhile the aliens stayed where they were, keeping their gaze on Garrus. He watched them all, before he heard from Ashley, "Yeah? So? What's going on?"

He looked down at the table, frowning. How the hell was he going to say this?

"He wants to request us all for a mission. As many as we can. He doesn't really give a damn whether we're human, turian, asari or quarian; he needs us, as the people we are. I asked him about that. I just don't... know where to begin."

"C'mon Old Man. Try starting by telling us what he said." James piped in. Garrus narrowed his eyes, but half of it was in good sport; James was young and impatient, and Garrus was probably double his age. It was to be expected.

He sighed once and then looked at them all. "The Alliance forces picked up a distress signal that they want us to investigate."

"Why?" Tali asked, scoffing a little. "There are thousands."

Garrus' mandibles twitched upwards. "That's what I said, more or less. However, the location of this one is... very different. It's coming from the Citadel."

The looks around the table weren't very much different from his own, when he had heard the news. Tali had pointed her mask at the table. Liara had frozen, her features stuck in a state of shock. Ashley looked almost like she'd cry. But it was the reactions of the men around the table that lifted Garrus' spirits. Joker broke a grin for the first time in days, meanwhile James yelled in excitement.

"LOLA MADE IT! LUCKY SON OF A BITCH, SHE MADE IT!" He hollered, loud enough to break most of the table out of their silence. It took a lot to not feel empowered by these people, it took a lot to calm Garrus' heart. Many of the other people around the table were feeling the same sort of excitement. But Garrus raised a hand, trying to bring a little bit of order, which after about thirty seconds, he got.

"That's... certainly a possibility. And it's one of the best possibilities." Garrus said.

"It would be what you would want, wouldn't it?" Liara commented. Garrus noted the slight negativity behind her tone, and made the assumption that Liara was daring him to say otherwise. He almost forgot that Liara was Jane's ex. He nodded quietly.

"Of course that's what I want. I think that's what everyone wants. Maybe I've got some additional incentive, but-"

"Wha?" James asked. "Why would you-"

"Shut up Vega." Ashley snapped. "Later."

Garrus was baffled. Someone DIDN'T know about his relationship with...? He shook it off and continued.

"However, it could be several possibilities. Perhaps it's Admiral Anderson. He might've survived. It could also..." He paused, gathering his bearings, and then he went through with full speed. "It might also be a trap."

"I don't know how." Liara inputted. "That beam destroyed all synthetic life as far as we know. Anything with Reaper code. That's why EDI-..." She stopped, and then looked to Joker. Garrus did as well.

Joker was looking at the table with a blank expression and then he raised his hand, motioning for Liara to continue. Garrus however, didn't want to carry Joker down that path. "Yes."

"Wasn't Shepard partially synthetic?"

Garrus stared at Tali. The quarian had a dark tone in her voice and she tilted her head up from the table. "How do we know that she was not..."

Garrus looked down at the table quietly. "We... don't know. Some things still work... the things that didn't have Reaper code inputted into them. We don't know if it would be the same for non-Reaper synthetics or not."

"How do we know that she wasn't-"

Garrus narrowed his eyes. "We don't know anything, Tali. We don't know who sent that signal, whether it was Shepard or Anderson... or perhaps something else that survived on the Citadel. Something far more sinister." His gravelly undertones seemed to rumble even deeper the more he spoke. He looked at the entire team in front of him. "We need to evaluate whether... whether this is worth the risk or not. Do we go in ourselves, or do we go on with the original plan? Do we want to forget that this communication went through and give the Normandy back to the Alliance as previously planned?"

The looks around the table were varied. But it was the voices around the table that carried the loudest.

"He's kidding, right?" James blurted out, staring at Garrus. "You're kidding, right?"

Garrus bristled. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"I agree with Mr. Vega." Liara said quietly, her gaze piercing a hole in Garrus' leathery hide. "Is this a joke?"

"Uh... no?" Garrus commented. He was preventing himself from snapping an explanation from the both of them.

Joker leaned forward on the table. "Garrus, if we don't go and see what that signal is, who the hell will? Who can do it better than us?"

Garrus' mandibles twitched with annoyance. "It's an investigation of a distress signal. Any grunt could do that."

"Not necessarily." Tali replied softly. "If it is a threat, there is no better. If it is our Commander, there is no better. If it is Anderson, we can certainly handle that."

Ashley nodded in agreement with Tali. Meanwhile, Javik finally made a sound, making an obvious cough. Garrus looked at him. "Yeah?"

"I see merit in going to the Citadel. I will join you." Javik said simply, prompting a look of surprise from Liara. Javik stared Garrus down with all four of his eyes. "We are going to the Citadel, yes?"

Garrus looked at them all and then smiled faintly. "Yeah. I guess we are." He stood up straight and placed his hands behind his back. "Alright. The reason we were chosen for this mission is specifically because of our expertise and our ship's stealth systems. Hackett hasn't gotten a team to the Citadel to see if it can be declared a non-threat yet. We're going to be investigating the signal, as well as declaring the status of the Citadel. It may turn out that we encounter hostiles, whether it be from the Citadel's systems itself, or because of some force left behind on the Citadel."

Joker smiled faintly and stood up with effort; when they had crash landed, he had five bones broken. Moving around for Joker was a little bit difficult. "Well. Go ahead and brief them. I'll set a course." Joker commented as he left.

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

**- **So. I have chapters four, five and six already written. I'll upload them later. Chapter Six needs some slight rework though.

- I'm trying to take this down the path of talking more about Garrus coming into command. That being said... yes. There will be fluff.

- Songs:

The sound of my own flu virus and headache reverberating through my head. YUMMY.


	4. Shepard's Words

**Story Notes**

Cassandra Y: Thank you very much for the interest and the PMs about the story. Since you love Shakarian so much... I guess this chapter's dedicated to you. I wrote it before you left your review, but it definitely has enough fluff.

* * *

He was hardly the dashing, chivalrous captain that they all wanted him to be. He wasn't Shepard. But he seemed to be getting the job done. Soon after their liftoff from Eden Prime, the Normandy was setting a course for Earth. It was a course that would likely take a couple of weeks with one stop at a fuel depot on the edges of the Exodus Cluster. It certainly wasn't a trip that would take them a couple of hours, like it had a week ago. With a sigh, Garrus contemplated this as he sat down in the captain's cabin. Once again, he felt like a foreign presence in this chair. There had been so many times that he had watched Jane from this chair, working diligently at whatever the hell it was that Jane worked at. Garrus knew that it had been important, but he wasn't the type to ask the details; especially of Commander Shepard. He tapped the luminescent keyboard at the computer and brought up the files that were supposed to serve as logs for the captain of the ship. He frowned. He was supposed to be filling out some kind of log; he meant to do so everyday. But, the pull of the previous logs were hard to resist. He looked around quietly. He almost expected eyes to be upon him instantly if he tried to pull them up... like Jane would just come bursting through the door. While Garrus would have welcomed that sight...

He growled a little underneath his breath, and then selected one of the logs. The justification that went through his mind was very quick. He needed to see what exactly these logs were supposed to be. He needed to know if Jane actually had a plan. He found the most recent one, and then he selected it without thinking about it.

The image that showed up on the screen was Jane's, in almost a perfect picture. If Garrus had been any type of sentimental turian, he probably would've cried at the sight. As it was, he simply looked away for a moment, and blinked a couple of times. He managed to keep his composure, however, even though it was incredibly difficult. He thought back to the last time he had seen that face... in fact it was a few days ago. It was in the middle of an Earth city, named London. Who the hell thought up a name like that for a city? But it had been in ruins... and Garrus had just had the entire world... or a Mako, explode in his face. He remembered the woman in front of him... vivid red hair, which Garrus had thought looked weird when he first laid eyes on a human. But hers... she normally had it up in a ponytail, although she kept it in a bun for a few years. But what Garrus loved the most about it was when she let it down, and it came down her back in curly tresses. It was one of the most exotic sights that he had perhaps ever seen, and one that he could fully appreciate. Her bright blue eyes, eyes that almost looked like the colour of platinum. Those eyes were rarely ever seen without focus in them, but Garrus had been one of the only few that had seen them when they softened, become vulnerable, unguarded. This was not one of those cases, but just looking at her... from her eyes, to the freckles across her cheeks, and her tense jawline... it gave Garrus just a little bit of hope, something to fill the pit of his stomach with something other than lead.

_"Shepard's Log, entry 201. We're en route towards Earth with the Crucible. The Illusive Man managed to be just as illusive as he has been for the past year, the son of a bitch."_ Garrus' mandibles twitched at the venom in her voice. There we go. There was his fiery Jane. It didn't come out often... more often than not, she kept her true thoughts to herself, but Garrus knew better. _"However, EDI, Garrus and I did manage to come across Kai Leng, the Cerberus assassin. It was a difficult fight. I finally understand what it's like to not be able to take a clear shot. You don't need cover to dodge a sniper. All you need is the ability to teleport around like a ghost."_ Garrus gave a short laugh. He remembered that fight all too well, since it had been only a week previously. Jane had come out of that fight with some rough injuries, and Garrus had gotten the kill shot on Kai Leng... or at least he thought he had. That was before Kai Leng got up to try to assassinate Jane. Before Garrus had even noticed his appearance behind Jane, Jane had turned around, and Garrus had heard the shatter of a sword on Jane's armored fist. He himself had turned around to see Jane take a blade on her omni-tool, stab Kai Leng in the chest, and snarl, "That was for Kirrahe, you son of a bitch!"

Garrus didn't think he could have had more pride and respect for his uptight and reserved commander.

_"At least Garrus got the kill shot, and I got to stab him for good measure."_

"Damn right I did, Shepard." Garrus growled with appreciation.

_"Admiral Hackett just left the Normandy to proceed back to his ship. He did the final motivating speech from my spot on the ship. I guess I should be proud... I'm not sure why he didn't do it on his own ship, but he's been saying to me the entire time about how I am the only force that can motivate everyone in the galaxy... No pressure, Hackett."_

Garrus laughed again. So, Shepard pretty much treated this as one of her vents. Alright... Did she not think that she would get caught eventually?

_"Of course, I never said that to him. I don't think I ever will. Maybe when this is all over. But for right now, I'm en route to Earth with my team. We're going to see if Anderson and the rest of our guys down there are alive. The Reapers have taken the Citadel, which is supposed to be the Catalyst we're looking for. Apparently our plan is to go down there as a ground infiltration team and use a beam that the Reapers have been using as a transport to the Citadel for their human victims. Then we're going to facilitate a connection between the Citadel and the Crucible, and blow the Reapers back to whatever hellhole they crawled out of."_ Garrus heard her begin to laugh half-heartedly, and then he saw her hang her head.

_"I... get the feeling that I won't come out of it alive."_

Garrus frowned and sat up a little straighter, narrowing his eyes.

_"I keep having these... dreams. I'm not even sure if they're dreams anymore. They seemed to have carried over to real life. On Earth, I saw this little boy that no one else seemed to see nor help... But he managed to make it on his own to a shuttle. Then... the shuttle got shot down by a Reaper. Since then... I keep seeing him in my dreams. He's running through a dark forest, and I'm running after him in slow motion. There are whispers in the trees... I keep hearing Mordin's voice, and Kaidan's, and lately I've been hearing Legion too. Then, as soon as I catch up to the boy, he gets engulfed in flames... but last time... I saw myself hugging him, and then saw myself be engulfed in flames with him."_

Garrus crossed his arms, staring at the vidfeed.

_"Then... I woke up. I heard nothing else. Garrus told me that a bad dream was a waste of a good sleep but... I just don't know. There's something about this dream. It's... warning me. Warning me about some decision I'm about to make. I just hope that I make the right one."_

He examined the face of the woman. She looked... like she was in pain. Like she was ready to crack, to either start shooting everything or cry... or both. He'd seen that look before in soldiers... but this time was a bit more personal. He forced himself to keep looking though. It was rare that even he got this level of insight into his own girlfriend.

_"I'm trying to relax. Everyone is worried about me... Joker even told me that Anderson told him to keep an eye on me. Tali constantly babbles about nothing but the engineering crew, and the ship schematics, just to try to make me smile. Liara and Dr. Chakwas want to analyze me I'm sure... and Garrus..."_

Garrus felt a lump in his throat.

_"I owe Garrus a damn date when this is all over."_

Garrus let out a barking laugh, mostly filled with surprise.

_"That guy's sat down with me through thick and thin, listened to my bullcrap, had my six covered from bullet fire, and has more tenacity than ten Alliance soldiers put together. He's got a good head on his shoulders..."_ There was a long pause. _"Except for when it comes down to social interaction."_

"Hey!" Garrus commented at the screen, looking a bit wounded.

_"He even admits he has no romantic skill whatsoever. I'm not sure how he hits on people of his own species, but bless him, he tries. He's adorable. He's..."_ If Garrus could have blushed, he would have. He watched her for a moment, as she looked to the side, almost as if caught in a memory, looking relaxed and... almost happy.

_"I'd be stupid not to spend my life with that turian. If we survive all this... maybe I'll ask for a transfer to Palaven, and help with the clean-up effort there. I'm sure we've got an Alliance base on Palaven... if only to keep up good diplomatic relations. Or an embassy."_

"Dammit Shepard." Garrus growled quietly. "You're gonna make me cry if you keep it up." His face had turned into a grim mask, so as to keep his true feelings from welling up.

_"Or maybe... screw the whole army thing. I'm done being Commander Shepard. I think this is my last time that I'll be in the spotlight for anything... some days, I think I just want to go back to being Jane."_

Garrus watched the woman sigh, and then smile painfully._ "Yeah. Like that'll happen. Let's focus on one issue at a time, shall we? Hopefully the next log update will be from me. If it happens to not be me... and if anyone has watched my damn sappiness this long, had the patience for it... I promise you, the rest of the logs won't be like this. I just needed... to blow some steam. But, to the new Normandy captain, I say this. Soldier, you've got a great history beneath your feet. If the walls could talk, they'd whisper a lot of things. Stories of friendship, family, peace, conflict, turbulence. Tales of different stars that many of our allies have never seen. Close calls that our navigational crew has gotten us out of. Ground teams that were some of the best the damn galaxy had to offer. Cerberus crewmen that served and died proudly. Alliance personnel that fought to keep the galaxy safe until the very end. Hell... some even found love on this ship, and some of them found it in the place they never expected."_

Garrus blinked rapidly.

_"This ship is a home and haven for not just Alliance personnel. I hope that you treat this ship with the same respect that I poured into it. I hope that someday you can talk to the humans. The Prothean. The AI. The Asari. The Quarian. The Turian."_ She seemed to smile with a bit more cheer at the last race. _"I hope that they can tell you about all of the heart and soul they poured into this ship. The hours of calibrations. The days of fights on distant planets and stations. And I want them to know this... my thoughts will always be with them. Even when I'm dead._

_And who knows, it may turn out that I'll come back to life a second time."_

She grinned, a beaming and graceful smile that warmed Garrus' hardened heart.

_"And dammit... if any of you find my past crew... make sure they check I'm dead this time before they go run off and do their own thing. I'd hate to have to start over with a new crew AGAIN. There's only so many times I can do it."_

Garrus finally broke out into a hearty laugh, deep and rumbling in his chest. The feed turned off. He then loaded up his own feed, starting a new one. He spoke about the events of the last day, of Hackett telling him to investigate the distress signal on the Citadel, and the crew's willingness to check it out, just in case it was Commander Shepard. He also told about how quickly their repairs went after that; Tali pouring herself into her repairs with Adams, Donelly and Daniels. Then, he looked at the camera with a raised brow.

"And Shepard... Jane. Yeah... Jane. Don't you worry. We're checking to see if you're alive this time. If you ever get the chance to see these vids..." He paused for a moment, feeling self-conscious. He still felt he should keep up some kind of professionalism, but he also felt like that all went out the window long ago. He smirked.

"Your adorably awkward little turian demands that date."

With that, he cut the feed.

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

- THE FLUFF. THE FLUFF IS EVERYWHERE!

- I'm going to try to fit in Solana some time during this fiction. However, I don't want it to be forced either. I do know that I want to dive into the history with the sister at some point though.

- Songs

Theophany - Lover's Mask


	5. Joker

**Story Notes**

Well, this story is complete. I'm just uploading everything periodically. It measured out in the end to be nine chapters.

Guest: Y U NO SIGN IN. D: But thank you.

* * *

These days, Garrus spent more time in EDI's chair then anywhere else on the ship. Where Shepard had mostly trusted the direction of the ship's navigation to Joker and EDI, Garrus wasn't even sure what to do. Shepard had spent more time talking with her crew, motivating them and protecting them, giving them sound advice, then she had ever spent in the CIC or the cockpit. Garrus was not that type. So, when Joker actually asked him for help, Garrus was more than happy to assist. But he did look at him quizzically at first.

"Joker," he rumbled. "Didn't you used to do this all the time? Keep scans?"

Joker shrugged quietly. "I did. But I feel like I should focus on flying the ship. We just did the repairs, but I still have to be... kinda careful." Garrus got the feeling from watching the man that it was more than that. Joker had really taken a hit from all of this. He had lost both the love of his life, EDI, and the commander he adored, Shepard, all in the same day. The turian could understand that. The only thing left of EDI was her empty shell, now housed in the AI Core, with the vain hope that perhaps someday, they may be able to repair the Reaper parts within her that got fried. But even Joker probably realized that EDI would never be the same again, even if they tried that.

Garrus also just assumed that he wanted some company. He didn't mind; it gave him something to do, more than just brooding and pacing the ship nervously. Now that they were off Eden Prime and travelling, Garrus was afraid of doing just that.

So, there he was, keeping a look out for fuel depots on the edge of the Exodus Cluster, with Joker flying silently beside him. He glanced over at Joker periodically, but Joker seemed to keep the same frown on his face. So, Garrus waited, examining the stars closely, until the inevitable moment that Joker commented.

"So. I've got a question for you."

Garrus swiped a screen off of his display with one talon. "Yeah?"

"What the hell are we supposed to call you now?"

Garrus looked over at Joker in confusion. "Uh... Garrus?"

Joker shot him a dirty look. "You know what I mean. It's the military on this ship, despite half of us not being Alliance."

"Oh." Well, of course Garrus had realized that, but honestly... he hadn't had some miraculous promotion. He was just doing his part on the ship. He shrugged. "I don't know, Joker. I'm not a part of the Alliance. I'm just doing a favour for Hackett. Why... what's the minimum rank for running your own ship in the Alliance?"

"Commander."

Garrus' jaw tightened. "I see."

Joker looked over him carefully. Garrus could feel his eyes on him. It was a short pause before Garrus spoke again, but it felt like an eternity. "Let's not call me Commander."

Joker laughed bitterly. "Yeah. Let's not."

Garrus' mandibles tightened for a moment, before he let them loose to speak again. "How about whatever feels comfortable? You've called me Garrus for so long... just stick with it."

"I guess." Joker paused for a moment, and then looked at Garrus. "So... do you have any plans to maybe try to keep the Normandy?"

Garrus looked baffled. "What? It's an Alliance ship. How the hell could I?" Garrus asked him.

Joker shrugged. "Lots has changed around the galaxy, Garrus. I think we're going to see a lot more cross-species interaction. Shepard made sure of that."

Garrus saw Joker look him over, but Garrus kept stoic. "Maybe, Joker. But I doubt it. That doesn't seem like more than several years down the line... by then I'll be retired out of my own hierarchy, let alone transferring to the Alliance."

Joker paused for a moment and blinked. "Wait. How old are you?"

Garrus laughed a little. "We don't live very long past a hundred and fifty. I'm a relatively young turian... probably no more than about thirty by your standards."

Joker managed to put on a small grin. "That didn't answer my question."

Garrus smirked back. "Well. I went into the military at fifteen for my mandatory years of service. I came out at thirty. I worked for C-Sec for five years, before I joined the Normandy crew. You do the math."

Joker whistled. "Nearly forty years old. Not doing bad at all. Most humans your age are lingering at Captain, not saving the galaxy from the biggest threat against organics in history."

Garrus laughed. "And most pilots your age aren't flying into no-man's land through battlezones, making sure that the entire crew makes it out alive. What does that say about you?"

"That I'm a damn good pilot."

"Well, I'm a damn good law enforcer."

Joker grinned. "Garrus, you're a shitty law enforcer. That's why you left the cop squad."

Garrus grinned wickedly back. "True. I won't deny that."

After that exchange, they sat in silence for a while. Garrus looked over some monitors. Joker looked over some monitors. But finally, Joker spoke again.

"Garrus... can I ask you something?"

Garrus looked over at Joker. "Sure."

"Do you think she knew... what would happen?"

Garrus frowned. He assumed they were back to talking about Shepard. Who else would they be talking about? But he didn't know what the hell Joker was talking about. "About what?"

"About... what would happen, when she fired the Crucible."

Garrus stayed silent, before he finally broke out into a sigh. "I... don't know if she knew all of the repercussions. But... she had her orders. Destroy the Reapers. That was what the Crucible was meant to do."

"But... Garrus, it wiped out more than that... it took out the geth... it took out..." Garrus watched Joker choke a little on his words, stopping.

"Yeah... I... I don't know, Joker. Maybe it was programmed to take out anything that possessed Reaper code." Garrus said, trying to stay calm. But he knew that look on Joker's face. It was the same look that Garrus had felt in his heart. He tried not to let it affect him. "None of us knew what would happen when she fired that device. None of us knew what kind of damage it could do. All we knew was that we had a chance to save the galaxy... and she took it."

Joker nodded quietly. "It was for the best... I guess."

Garrus glanced at Joker with worry. "How are you holding up?"

"Terribly." Joker said in his bitterly sarcastic manner. "Not having her here in the cockpit with me, not having her to talk to while she did scans... not having her here to laugh at my jokes... or try to tell her own... she was becoming her own person, Garrus. And I loved her."

Garrus wasn't good with this sort of crap. He looked to the side, glancing at the monitors, trying desperately to put some thoughts into his head that were more than a rough grunt of affirmation. He took a pause, before he said, "Well... no. Joker... you still love her. You'll... always love her, whether she's there with you or not." Garrus stared at the monitor, completely lost. "And... who knows... maybe only the Reaper code was destroyed. Maybe when you get her back to Earth..."

Joker shook his head violently. "But that's not EDI! It won't be EDI anymore!"

Garrus looked back at him. "Was she EDI before she inputted the Reaper IFF into her systems?"

Joker stared at him for a moment, and then bowed his head. "Yes..." He mumbled finally.

"Then maybe she can become EDI again."

Joker calmly nodded, and then looked back at him. "Christ, you're almost as good to talk to as the Commander. She teach you some of her tricks or something?"

Garrus' brow twitched upwards a little. "Ja-" He stopped, hoping that Joker hadn't caught his near slip. But, of course, the young pilot raised an eyebrow. "Shepard mostly conducted her business through being natural. She tried to make friends with people, tried to make the ship a giant family of... souls. People. Not just human or AI or anything, but just... beings. I'm... just trying to emulate that a bit."

Joker stayed silent for a long time, and then looked out the windows at the starry void. "I almost forgot... about you two."

Garrus' mandibles twitched upwards... the closest to a smile that the turian was going to get to. "It's easy to do that. We didn't exactly make it open like Donelly and Daniels do."

Joker raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Ashamed?"

Garrus paused for a long moment. "No. Never. I mean, we started out as just... I guess friends who really needed to blow off steam, but it just... became something more. I don't think she was ever ashamed of it. She was used to it; she used to be involved with Liara, after all."

Joker scoffed. "What person hasn't laid an asari at some point?"

Garrus had to keep his jaw shut to stop his laughter. "Joker, that's terrible."

"Have you seen how many exotic dancers they have?"

"Joker..."

"Alright, alright. Anyway... go on."

"I wasn't ashamed either. We just had our focuses, and though we did... though we love each other, we both had our duty first. I had to make sure my emotions didn't get in the way of protecting her, and she had to make sure that my stupidity didn't get in the way of her mission."

Joker laughed. "I guess that was hard to do. We all know what the Commander's like."

Garrus smiled weakly. He remembered vividly. Shepard had the expertise of an infiltrator, that was what her speciality was. She was known for getting into a place and getting the job done swiftly and silently. Unfortunately, there was a lot of situations where Garrus wondered if she hadn't gotten her reputation based on sheer, dumb luck. There were plenty of times where he had shot a Husk off of her back, or where his heart had stopped when he saw a Brute charging towards her and she practically played with it like it was a match against a thresher maw. She also thought of the stupidest plans, but they more often than not, worked. She was a good person, but she had been a major headache at times. He was sure thought that she had thought his disregard of the rules to be an insult. There had been plenty of times when they first met that he had voiced his opinion of bureaucracy rather vividly, and Shepard had been there to argue with him, saying that going too far away from the rules made them no different from Saren. In fact, Garrus didn't think he had seen her make a choice that didn't follow the law book. Granted, she was smart. She followed the rules, to the letter... but that didn't mean that she didn't dodge the rules every so often. Shepard had been great at finding loopholes, and when she knew Garrus was to be trusted, she often exploited those loopholes like a volus merchant, all the while giving him a wink.

"Stubborn, courageous, crafty, kindhearted, and quite frankly a simple sort of woman." Garrus commented back.

Joker looked at him for a moment, and grinned. "Yeah. I guess that about sums it up." He commented, and then he leaned over slightly to look at Garrus' screen.

"Garrus, you're terrible at this navigation thing. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Huh?" Garrus blinked in confusion, staring up at his monitor, where he could clearly see the ping of a recorded fuel depot. "... oh. Sorry, Joker."

"Pay attention Lover-Boy, or I'll have to tell the Commander."

Garrus looked indignant. "Lover-What?"

"You heard me."

"Shut up Joker."

"Yes sir."

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

- This chapter has inspired me to write a story at some point about Joker and EDI. We'll see what happens. I like happy stories.

- Songs

Absolutely nothing.


	6. The Prothean

Although it ended with Garrus wanting to punch Joker lightly in the arm (which would've probably broken five more bones), Joker's threat to tell Jane about Garrus' activities kind of gave him a bit of hope. It wasn't as grim on the ship as it had been for Garrus. Everyone was running around, doing exactly what they did before they had crashed on Eden Prime, and for Garrus it was no different. After Joker had a bit more focus, he told Garrus that he didn't need him on the bridge, and Garrus went to spend a lot more time in the main battery, doing what he did best. Calibrations.

It was calming for him, really, though he found he didn't spend as much time with it as he used to. He spent a lot more time in the crew hall, especially when it came to meals, and he didn't skip as many as he used to. He was finding the contact with the crew to be a comfort at times. He had gotten to know many of them, but other than missions, a lot of them had stuck to themselves. The only one whom he had real contact with on the ship before was Tali, and even that was limited.

They had been on the edge of the Sol System, around Neptune in fact, when Garrus had decided to finally crawl out of the battery and go to enjoy breakfast. The crew always knew to check either the captain's cabin or the main battery if they wanted to speak to him. But this time, as he walked down the hallway and past the counter of the kitchen, he was startled to find Liara was leaning against a wall beside her office, looking at Garrus directly.

"Ah, Garrus. Good to see you've come out." Liara commented passively. Garrus grunted, still finding he was too tired to really articulate. Oh well.

"Hey Liara. Sorry."

"No, I've no control over how you conduct your free time, and we certainly have a lot of it." Liara commented matter-of-factly. Garrus swore that she was the exact stereotype out of one of those human vids, where the nerd often pushed glass lenses up their nose that were supported by frames and spewed facts until the rest of the characters were ready to hit them. Garrus of course didn't want to hit Liara though. He found her to be likeable enough, at least enough to be an acquaintance and a team member.

"You noticed, huh?"

"Yes." she replied back simply with a nod. She then motioned towards one of the tables in the mess hall. "Did you want to eat? I'd like to have a chat with you."

Garrus looked a little uncomfortable. "Uh... yeah." He shrugged. "I was thinking about it."

Garrus and Liara placed their orders to the officer that was on mess hall duty that day, and then proceeded to sit down. Garrus noted quietly how he could have really used one of those drinks that Jane used to have in the morning... she had called it coffee, but all Garrus knew about it was that it really woke her up. He'd adapt quickly though... and he felt that he had to, because he saw Liara immediately start tapping away on her omni-tool.

"I've managed to conduct my own analysis of the mission that we're about to undertake, to infiltrate the Citadel's ruins."

Garrus blinked. Right down to business, huh? "Go on?"

"Well, I'll say it quite frankly. I don't think that we'll be able to achieve our mission without some assistance from someone who can truly track what happened at the scene. In order to evaluate what really happened onboard the Citadel. There's bound to be too much destruction for our omni-tools to be able to provide a full analysis."

Garrus noted quickly that the mess hall officer had brought over drinks for them both, and then he grabbed his own and took a sip. It was a tangy liquid, native to his homeworld, that was often used to give them energy for their day. "That's probably a good assumption. Do you have a solution?"

"I do, in fact. However, it will be very difficult." Liara commented. She brought her omni-tool onto the table and tapped it a few times, showing a schedule sheet. "We'll need the help of Javik."

Garrus looked at her blankly. "I'm sorry Liara... I'm not following. What does Javik have to do with it?"

Liara looked at him with a bit of indignity and Garrus shrugged apologetically. "Javik's kind had the ability to sense what had happened in an area simply by using their mind. They believed that each object, each living being, everything in the universe, had a memory."

Garrus blinked. "Really?"

"Yes. That's how the Commander was able to access the memories of the Reaper attack. She was more receptive to Prothean technology and their ability to pass images to each other."

"Huh." Garrus stared at Liara. "I had no idea how she recalled that so vividly."

Liara raised an eyebrow. "You never asked once?"

"She seemed uncomfortable with it. It wasn't something she wanted to necessarily recall." Garrus said firmly. "I tried to make her life easier, so that involved not asking her questions until she volunteered information to me."

Liara frowned. "Odd. She had no issue with answering my questions."

Garrus felt a chill run down his scales. This was something he had feared... Liara was not exactly happy with Garrus for 'stealing' her girlfriend... though to be honest, Garrus didn't want to get involved with what happened between the two of them. He didn't make any assumptions or any accusations. He just knew what was now existing between the two of them; a close friendship. "She... was polite, Liara. Very polite. She didn't like seeing other people in distress, even if it meant refraining from speaking."

Liara stared at him for a moment, a cold look in her eye, and Garrus rubbed the back of his neck with his talons. Women... Why couldn't he ever talk to them? He didn't mind talking to them when it didn't involve emotions and only war tactics... but the minute it was anything resembling social, Garrus was a complete fool. He looked away from Liara to avoid her gaze. Liara seemed to take it as a sign to continue and change the subject.

"Your thoughts?"

"On Javik?" Garrus asked. He shrugged. "It's up to Javik. He's the only one who can do it, and he did volunteer to come along. We can go and ask him, if you want."

"We?" Liara asked cooly.

Garrus frowned. "Yes, Liara. We. Come with me to Port Cargo." Garrus was only mildly annoyed with Liara by this point, and he didn't mind giving her an authoritative suggestion. He stood to his feet and motioned her to come with him. Liara looked a little confused.

"What about your breakfast?"

Garrus raised an eyeridge. "I don't really care about it. It'll be there when I get back. I need you to help me talk to him. You know more about the Prothean way of life than anyone else on this ship. Surely you can find a way to convince him." He commented. Liara seemed to understand that Garrus didn't feel like having an argument, and stood up to join him.

* * *

"Is there any reason why I have a turian and an asari in my quarters?"

Garrus and Liara had walked into Port Cargo and hadn't seen Javik when they first walked in. Their curiosity was short-lived however, as Javik had decided to walk up from behind them. Garrus turned around. While he knew Javik would not threaten anyone on the ship, his mannerisms were still a little unnerving. Liara on the other hand gave Javik a faint smile.

"Yes, there's a reason Javik. We wanted to ask something of you."

The prothean walked into the room and walked past Garrus and Liara. He took a position beside where his memory shard used to be, and stared at them both. He placed his hands behind his back. "Ask."

Garrus shot a look at Liara, as if prompting her to speak. Liara seemed to have no problem with that. "I thought of a plan once we reach the Citadel... one that could come in handy. But we need you for it."

"That is?" Javik asked neutrally.

"Your ability to glean information from your surroundings. We want to use them to try to find out what happened to the Commander."

Javik examined her for a little bit, his face non-changing. "I would not put much hope to it, Dr. T'Soni." He said finally, and he glanced at Garrus as well. "Nor you, turian." He looked at both of their faces and then spoke again. "I do not know what having that information will accomplish."

"It could accomplish many things." Liara countered. "There could be a chance that she's alive."

Garrus couldn't read Javik, but he did see Javik shift a little. "Unlikely. War claims many people. It does not matter if they are heroes or not. They are as mortal as anyone else."

Garrus felt a sickening feeling in his stomach, but he knew that Javik was right. Yet at the same time... there was no way that Jane had died.

"You don't know Commander Shepard." Liara protested. "If there's a distress signal from the Citadel, it's most likely her."

Javik examined her closely, and then Garrus heard perhaps the most sympathetic words that he had ever heard from the prothean. "T'Soni..."

"Please, Javik!" Liara replied urgently, as she put a hand over her heart. "If there's any chance... any at all!"

Javik stared at her for a minute, and then looked to the side, frowning. "I will see what can be done. You may not like the results."

Liara smiled warmly. "Thank you, Javik. I appreciate it." She nodded her head, and then she proceeded to exit. Garrus, however, stayed.

He watched Javik walk towards the pool of water that he always brooded over, and then Javik spoke to him. "Will you not follow her?"

Garrus smirked a bit. "I pissed her off a bit earlier. I'm not sure she wants to talk to me." He folded his arms. "You seem to have a difficult time denying her requests."

Javik looked up from the pool of water and stared at the wall.

"She reminds me of a soldier I once knew. Inquisitive, passionate. She would have been very much like T'Soni in a different age, I think." Garrus stared at Javik, startled. Was Javik opening up to him? "Now that my mission is complete, my people avenged... I do not see a reason not to help her, and all of you."

Garrus chuckled. "Shepard told me that you wanted to go to Kahje and live like a god to the hanar."

Javik turned his head and stared at Garrus. "Do turians have a hard time grasping sarcasm, or is that just humans?"

Garrus blinked. "Well... maybe prothean sarcasm is a little above us?"

"It was a joke."

"... ah."

"Do you need anything else, Captain?"

Garrus shook his head. "No... but don't call me captain. Garrus is fine."

"You are the captain of this ship, as long as your Commander is gone. I do not see a reason to call you anything else. Good day, Captain."

"Uh... okay." Garrus mumbled, and he walked out of the room. Yep. No matter how many missions he did with Javik, Javik still set him a bit on edge.

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

These stories seem rather bare without notes. Oh well. Thank you for the positive feedback so far!


	7. Tracking

**Story Notes**

I'm not entirely sure if what happens in this segment is actually possible. I TRIED to do research into this. I really did. I finally brought myself to the conclusion that it could be done. Anyone can correct me on it in a PM if you'd like. :D

* * *

"Normandy crew, we're thirty minutes away from our destination." Joker's voice came over the speakers, and Garrus pulled himself out from underneath one of the guns in the main battery. "Ground team personnel are asked to meet in the War Room for a final briefing."

Garrus grabbed a cloth from the side of the room and rubbed some of the grime off of his talons. Even in this day and age, grease still got onto machinery. There was just some things that you couldn't get rid of. He grabbed his communicator, latched it to the right side of his head over his scars, and walked briskly out of the main battery. As he power walked, he spotted Liara at the end of the hall, practically jogging towards the elevator.

"Hey, wait up!" Garrus called out as Liara was about to round a corner. He jogged towards her and they both walked towards the elevator.

"You're late as well? You're supposed to be there on time." Liara scolded.

"Oh, says who?" Garrus countered. "What makes me so special?"

"You're the captain." Liara replied back in a monotone.

"Well... that doesn't mean anything. Besides, I'm not late. Everyone else will just be early."

"I'm sure, Garrus." Liara frowned as they both pressed the elevator's controls. The door opened and gave view to Javik and James, standing on opposite sides of the elevator. James grinned in relief, meanwhile Javik nodded to Liara. They both settled into the elevator, and it wasn't long before they were on the CIC floor, and in the war room. Ashley and Tali had beaten them all.

"Slow!" Tali exclaimed as the four walked quickly into the room. "Unacceptable!"

"Yeah yeah." James and Garrus grunted in unison. Ashley smirked.

Garrus only felt mildly offput by the situation. "Alright, alright. Let's have a little bit of order. Here's our course of action." He pressed on the table and called up a virtual keyboard, into which he typed an input. "Joker, pay attention."

"Yes sir." Joker's voice came through an intercom.

"We're going to have to go in with stealth systems. Nothing SHOULD be on the Citadel, however the Citadel could have some rogue systems that may target anything that approaches. As long as it doesn't have eyes on us and manual controls, we should be alright underneath the stealth shielding."

"Can't see why it would have eyes. I'll bring us in silent." Joker's voice crackled.

"Why the caution?" Tali asked.

"Can't be too careful. We have no idea what state the Citadel is in now." Garrus replied back. He brought up a diagram of the Citadel and used his talon to continue tracing a route.

"Now. From what we know, the distress signal is coming from this point... here." He commented as he pointed towards the top of the Citadel, to a platform overseeing the Presidium. "Joker, is there any way to get us a direct drop off at this location?"

"I don't see how, Garrus." Joker replied apologetically. "I'm good, but I can't get a ship of this size into that space. Not safely at any rate. I can get you close though." Garrus watched the map as Joker inputted a location about five floors beneath the location. "That's about as close as I can get you."

Liara stood up from the table, tapped the drop zone and then tapped the platform location. A red line extended between the two locations. "We can do it. We'll need to climb the wall, but it's possible."

"Brilliant. Thank you Joker." Garrus nodded. He then looked at the team. "Alright. I'll be assigning myself to the ground team this mission. Javik is also automatically on the ground. Who's our third, guys?"

Ashley shook her head. "No, I'll leave this to one of you. Someone's gotta overlook the bridge while Garrus is off the ship."

Tali, James and Liara glanced at each other, and then Liara shook her head. "As much as I would like to, I will stay behind. I may be able to glean some information about this signal, and I will need my lab. James? Tali?"

"Take Tali." James said. He looked disappointed. "You'll be more likely to need a door hacked then a door shot."

"Tali?" Garrus looked at the quarian. "You in?"

"Garrus... you need to ask?" Tali replied wickedly. Garrus couldn't help but smile. He always had a soft spot for Tali's mischievous side.

* * *

"No problems yet Garrus." Joker's voice came over the speakers as Garrus popped on his helmet. He felt the hiss of the helmet's sealing, giving him an environment to breathe in. After a minute, the vision system kicked in, making his entire vision a shade of blue mixed with colour. There was green for anything synthetic and mechanical; varying shades of red for anything organic. He turned his head to Tali, who already had a helmet on and was checking her shotgun. Then he turned his head to Javik, who was doing absolutely nothing... not even putting on a helmet.

"Javik, how do you breathe without a helmet?"

Javik stared down the turian and laughed menacingly. "In my cycle, breathing apparatuses were for primitives." Garrus heard Tali laugh nervously, and even Garrus let out a little bit of a chuckle.

"Was that a joke?"

"No. You are truly bad at humour, turian."

Garrus felt a bit miffed but he didn't have much time to reply. Joker opened up the airlock, and Tali and Javik jumped to the platform nearby, Garrus not far behind. He raised his sniper rifle to look around and nodded.

"Alright. I'm on your six. Javik, up front."

"Aye." Javik replied as he raised his assault rifle. Tali settled in behind Javik, with Garrus close behind Tali. The three walked along, Garrus keeping his eyes out for any sign of activity.

"Keelah... it's so quiet." Tali muttered as she looked around. Garrus nodded. It was hard to imagine that anything could be on this wreck and still be alive. It was only after Javik barked that they should pay attention that Garrus and Tali focused again.

When they came to the wall, Garrus turned on a setting on his omni-tool, and watched Javik and Tali do the same. He then tested the setting by placing his left foot on the wall. As he expected, his foot attached to the wall, and he settled himself onto the wall.

"Alright. We climb up three levels, and then there should be a door that we have to go through to get into a hallway. Javik, you're on point until we get to that door."

"Aye." Javik replied back, and the three of them proceeded up the levels. Garrus always hated this part of travel. If he had any weakness, it was definitely vertigo. He looked down below him, seeing the abyss, and he forced down the lump in his throat. Now to hope that his boots held against the wall.

They climbed over crevices and ledges in the wall, until finally they hit their floor. The three of them made sure they were above the platform before turning off their gravity, and all three hit the floor at roughly the same time. Tali immediately went to the door to open it.

"Huh. It's locked. Hold on boys, this will take me a couple of seconds."

Garrus lifted his sniper rifle and used the sight to look at their goal. They were so close, but there was no way they were going to get up there by climbing the wall. They had to take this access route. He frowned, trying to bite down on his nerves. What would they find up there?

**"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"**

**"QUARIAN!"**

Garrus whipped his body around to see Javik grabbing Tali's arm and wrenching her back. Then, Garrus himself nearly cried out.

On the other side of the door, two Keepers stood, one of them making a mad swipe at Tali. Their bug-like eyes, normally green, were filled with an eerie red glow. Garrus didn't think much further than that. He dropped his sniper rifle to the ground and grabbed his assault rifle, aiming for the first Keeper's head.

Javik kept himself between the Keepers and Tali, shielding the quarian with his body. With one arm, he was shooting at the Keepers with a heavy pistol. Meanwhile, Tali had taken out her shotgun and was trying to shoot at the Keepers from the ground.

The Keepers took another swipe for Javik and Tali, prompting Javik to shove Tali off to the side. Garrus tried to down the Keeper that was attacking Javik, but the Keeper managed to grab Javik with one of his stubby arms.

Garrus stopped shooting the Keeper, worried about shooting Javik by accident, but the prothean had it covered. He started beating the Keeper with the butt of his pistol rapidly. The Keeper made a piercing shriek as the pistol hit it in the eye and let go of Javik. Garrus grinned.

"Go for the eyes!"

"Go for the optics, Chiktikka!" Tali yelled out as she summoned her combat drone. The glowing yellow orb flew itself in the middle of the two Keepers and started to discharge electrical energy, hitting straight into the eyes of the Keepers. They shrieked and started to rub their eyes. Garrus shot down the first Keeper and it crumpled into a heap.

"Scratch one!"

Javik shot at the other and did not say any such silly phrases as he attacked. Finally the second Keeper crumpled, and the three of them stood victorious. The combat drone disappeared, and Garrus held out a hand to Tali.

"You alright?"

"Never better." Tali replied sarcastically as she accepted Garrus' help. He easily pulled the tiny quarian to her feet. She brushed herself off and stared at the two disabled Keepers. "What the hell was wrong with them? They've never done that before..."

"They should not be able to." Javik replied grimly as he kneeled to examine one. "They were not violent in my cycle, they were merely mindless groundskeepers."

Garrus shook his head. "They weren't violent to us either. They just did repairs on the Citadel... they self-destructed if you tried to tamper with them though." He frowned. "I don't understand why they would attack."

"I... don't think that we should be concerned about that." Garrus heard Tali comment weakly. Garrus turned around and looked in the direction that Tali was facing, and even he started to feel sick.

On the other side of the doorway stood a corridor lined with human bodies. All of them were dead it seemed, most of them bloodied. The whole room seemed to be painted in red, and was dark. Garrus walked towards the doorway, staring in horror.

Was Jane here?

"Keelah se'lai..." Tali murmered beside him, and for once Garrus couldn't agree more, if that meant what he thought. Javik seemed to be unphased by the bodies however, and instead he kept his gaze locked on the door on the opposite side of the room.

"Your commander was here."

Garrus' head snapped to the direction of Javik. "You're sure? Was she alive?"

"She was. She was... badly injured. Limping. She..." Javik turned his gaze towards Garrus, frowning more then usual. "She does not look good, Captain."

Garrus was left with nothing to say. Too many thoughts were churning through his head. Why did he get injured and have to leave her? That was the top question on his mind. His stomach was doing somersaults in his body. But he didn't have much time to ponder that, before he felt Javik's hand on his shoulder.

"Look." He commanded, before Garrus' mind was suddenly assaulted with images that weren't his own.

* * *

_"Anderson?! You made it too?" A ragged looking human female called out. Her armor was barely in tact. It was burned to her body, practically grafted by some sort of damage. Faint tinges of red could be seen amongst the burn marks on the armor. The woman pointed a pistol upwards weakly, hobbling along, barely keeping awake. She stumbled over one of the bodies on the floor. She almost hit the floor before she threw out her right foot to keep herself from going all the way down. She moaned with the pain, gripping her side where it looked like she had been stabbed or shot. She wiped some of the blood off of her brow and panted._

_"Stop there, Anderson. I'll catch up to you. Don't go ahead alone!" She snarled as she hobbled faster down the hallway, and exited through a door on the opposite side of the room._

* * *

Garrus wrenched himself away from Javik's hand, gritting his pointed teeth together. It took all he could muster to not cry out when he saw that image in his head. It was taking all he could to not charge down the hallway without them... he had to remind himself that these events were in the past. He choked on his words, making incoherent sounds, barely registering Tali's grip on his arm.

"Jane..." He coughed. "Why the hell did you go ahead alone..."

It took Garrus a couple of minutes to regain his composure again, and when the fog cleared over his brain, he saw Tali's mask staring straight at him. Javik had leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, staring at him. He looked at them both and then pointed towards the door.

"She went through there. Let's move!"

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

In Javik's cycle, they breathed whatever the hell they wanted. That's the real reason why he has no helmet. :D

Songs:

Lots and lots of Within Temptation.


	8. Distress Signal

**Story Notes**

Wow, nearly done! It was quick, but I really enjoyed writing it. I've already got its successor started, but that I think I'll take longer to write. This fic was mostly powered by the visions of the game in my mind, and now that I've written my own conclusion, some of the steam is wearing off. Not to worry though. I'll get it done. I'm posting up a chapter after I've completed a chapter, so that should hopefully give some motivation to get stuff done.

My Fluffy Scarf: I'm glad! Here's the next post. Also, I love fluffy scarfs.

Guest: 3

Negrath: Here's the next chapter for you, about a half an hour after you posted up your response too.

* * *

Garrus, Javik and Tali ran down the hallway and through the door, before they came to another hall with moving walls beside a bridge. Javik pointed across the bridge and the three of them ran across. Garrus kept his grip on his gun strong, as they ran up the stairs on the other side. It must have been at least two levels that they ran up, before they got to the end of the hallway and got to the platform. Garrus stopped and his eyes darted around, scanning the platform... only stairs lead into the center of the platform, which had a console at the end of it.

"Oh Keelah..."

Garrus looked down the steps and saw one body there. It was male. He walked down the steps and then took a gulp.

"It's the Admiral." He said quietly as he looked for vital signs. He stared into the human's face. The admiral's eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping, a frown on his face. Garrus lifted the admiral's hand. It had been staunching a gunshot wound.

"Anderson is here. Where is Shepard?" Tali asked. Garrus glanced at Javik.

Javik looked down at Garrus from his position. "Can you handle the vision? You did not do well last time."

"I was... in shock." Garrus muttered. "I'll be fine."

"Very well." Javik replied as he touched Garrus' shoulder. "But it is not pleasant."

* * *

_The vision was blurred this time. Shepard was hunched over, pointing a gun at Anderson, who was on the other side of the platform. The Illusive Man was between them. Shepard seemed to be talking to him, but the words were so warped, Garrus couldn't understand what she was saying. Only some sentences were coming through._

_"I dedicated my life to understanding the Reapers, and I know with certainty; the Crucible will allow me to control them."_

_"And then what?" Shepard spat bitterly._

_"Look at the power they wield! Look at what they can do!" The Illusive Man replied, and he clenched his fist. Shepard shot Anderson in the gut, and for half a second, Shepard looked distraught, before her cold look fixed onto the Illusive Man._

_"I see what they did to you."_

_The sound became warped again, Shepard pointing her weapon still at Anderson. Then, the sound came back._

_"If we destroy the Reapers, this ends today. But if you can't control them..."_

_"... BUT I CAN!"_

_"Are you willing to bet humanity's EXISTANCE on it?!"_

_"I know it will work!"_

_"You can't, can you!? They won't let you do it!"_

_"No! I'm in control! No one is telling me what to do!"_

_"Listen to yourself," Anderson grunted. "You're indoctrinated!"_

_The sound became warped again, this time for much longer. Garrus stared at the Illusive Man, pacing, then grabbing Anderson's pistol._

_"Because of you, humanity is already undone." Shepard spat._

_"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"_

_"They have the Citadel! They have us fighting each other instead of fighting them! You're doing exactly what they wanted, you're still doing it because they control you! Don't let them win! Break their hold! Don't let them control you!"_

_There was a long pause as the Illusive Man stared at the pistol he held in his hand and then he seemed for half a second to be himself. "I tried... Shepard." He replied weakly, before he shot himself in the head._

* * *

Garrus was trembling as Javik let him out of the vision. He stared up at Javik, who was looking down on him quietly. He shook his head.

"Javik, how do you live with seeing those things?"

"You become accustomed to it. It is like breathing." Javik said quietly. He pointed towards the console.

"She went there. She collapsed after she pressed a button. Then a platform carried her above the Citadel."

Tali went to the console and within a few seconds, she hit it. "Dammit! It's dead! I can't get that platform!"

Garrus looked to the ceiling of the Citadel, frowning. How the hell did they continue? But before he could even think of how to get up, Javik tensed.

"She... then came back down."

Garrus shot Javik a look. "Come again?"

"She stayed up there maybe fifteen minutes, at most. Then she came back down on the same platform. She seemed... healthier. The Citadel has started to explode around her, and course with the red energy that we saw coming out of the Crucible. She then..." Javik's gaze followed something that Garrus could not see, and then came to rest on the stairs. He then smirked a little and walked towards the stairs, grabbing a little black device from the floor.

"I have found your distress signal, Captain."

Garrus and Tali hurried over to Javik's side. Javik dropped it into Garrus' hands, and Garrus recognized it; it was the omni-tool that Jane kept with her at all times. Garrus inputted it into his own omni-tool, and brought up the distress signal.

In front of him, a holographic vision of Jane Shepard, battered, bloodied and wounded, started to talk. "To any ships out there, this is Commander Jane Shepard of the SSV Normandy! I'm requesting assistance. The Crucible is armed, I repeat! The Crucible is armed! I am going to cut my way back to the beacon. Hopefully it will take me back to London. If anyone is out there, please respond!"

The hologram waited exactly ten seconds, and then cursed. "Guess no communications are going out. Alright. For the party that comes to investigate, I am making my way back to the teleportation beam! Requesting assistance! I am likely in London, Earth. I repeat! Come to London!"

There was a massive explosion, and suddenly the feed cut out. Javik nodded.

"Yes. Her omni-tool was knocked out at that point. She didn't bother to pick it up."

"Where did she go?" Garrus asked in desperation.

"Back the way she came."

"Track her. Find her." Garrus commanded grimly.

The three of them ran back, Garrus' heart jumping in his chest. But he didn't have time to his own thoughts. Beside him, Tali seemed elated.

"There's a chance! There's actually a chance!" Tali cried out. "Hopefully that beam's still open!"

"It's most likely not." Garrus grunted. "Especially by now."

"Even so!" Garrus was sure that Tali was grinning. You could tell by her voice. "Javik, she hasn't died yet, has she?"

"Not yet." The prothean replied back curtly.

Garrus caught up to the prothean and laid a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

_Shepard ran with a bit more strength than before, but she was still badly wounded. She stumbled up the steps at top speed. Apparently a chance at life was motivating her to keep running, despite all of the injuries. She tripped and used her hands to propel herself up the last few steps, before she practically fell through the next door._

_The woman's path was blocked by a Keeper trying to clear bodies. Shepard raised her pistol and fired a warning shot at the creature, causing it to shriek and its eyes to turn red. All that Garrus heard out of the woman's mouth was "Shit.", before she dove around the Keeper. Then, there was another explosion. "SHIT!" She roared, trying to increase the pace. The blue light at the end of the tunnel was starting to flicker. "SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!" she screamed, before she dove through the teleportation platform... right in time for a massive explosion to go off behind her._

* * *

Garrus, Tali and Javik had run all the way down the hallway, and Garrus was panting as if he had been the one running from the explosions. He stared at the teleportation platform that Shepard had thrown herself through, and saw Tali cross her arms.

"It's deactivated. Now what?"

Garrus and Javik looked at each other and Garrus nodded. "She made it through to the other side. She was alive when she went through. Her body is in London." He shakily raised his hand towards his communications device in his helmet. "Joker, we're coming back down. Get Admiral Hackett on the line. We figured out what happened, and we need clearance to get to London. Fast."

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

Only one more chapter to go!


	9. A Wonderfully Full Galaxy

**Story Notes**

- Chapter Nine went under a rewrite for the second part. I was a little bit shifty about it, and while I kept the original writing and may upload it someday, I realized quickly that life shouldn't work as well as that. Plus, I'm not even sure if the characters would accept such a position. So, chapter nine is probably getting split into two chapters.

Blausen: Aww. Of course I'd mention you in a chapter. Thank you for being such a sweetheart.

Barbex: Thank you for your feedback as well. Thankfully enough, your feedback sparked an idea in my head. Let's see where it goes.

* * *

The turian standing before Admiral Hackett when they reached the small base in London was not the same turian that Hackett had assigned to this mission. He stood straighter, his gaze more focused, as he gave his debriefing on what he had found on the Citadel. Garrus watched Hackett as he paced, and then glanced back at Garrus.

"You're sure, Vakarian?"

"Ninety-five percent, sir." Garrus nodded. "I'm sure she's here on Earth. In fact, she's probably beside Harbinger, beside where the teleportation beam was." He wanted to tell Hackett that he was immediately heading out, but he also knew that he had something to attend to. "Sir, about Admiral Anderson..."

"Yes. It's fortunate that you found his body. I can understand why you left it where it was. There wasn't enough time to give him proper ceremony." Hackett nodded. "I'll be sending a team to get him. You said that the Keepers had gone rogue?"

"I'm not sure if it was all of the Keepers or just those two. Shepard shot at them to get them out of her way when she was fleeing the blast." Garrus replied.

"How do you know this?"

Garrus motioned to Javik, who was in a corner of Hackett's office beside Liara. The both of them were conversing quietly. "Prothean minds can glean information out of their surroundings. They can see the memories of the objects in the area. He transferred those thoughts to me for the mission."

Hackett smiled. "Then it's fortunate that he was along." He looked around the office and then back to Garrus. "Will you need a team with you to extract Shepard?"

"I'll need a medical team on standby." Garrus replied firmly, which prompted a look of surprise from Hackett.

"Medical team? You think she's still alive?"

"There's a very good chance that she is, sir." Garrus stated. He charged into what he needed next. "I also need someone to track down Miranda Lawson. She was in charge of the Lazarus Project, and knows the most about Shepard's physiology. If Shepard is alive, she's badly injured, and she needs the best minds to put her back together."

Hackett nodded. "Lawson was going to leave on the next commercial ship to Eden Prime. I'll make her stay."

Garrus chuckled. "You won't have to do much convincing. She owes Shepard a big favour and thinks of her as a friend."

Hackett smiled. "Alright. Anything else?"

Garrus shook his head. "No. I need to get back to the ship."

"Bring her back, Vakarian."

Garrus' mandibles twitched. "I will, sir. The galaxy has been an awfully empty place without her."

* * *

"Alright!" Garrus growled as the team walked to the shuttle bay. "Tali, Liara, James, Javik. We're on the ground. Ashley, make sure that Dr. Chakwas is ready, just in case everything goes right."

_"Gotcha Garrus."_ Ashley's voice crackled through his communications device. Garrus lowered his talons and kept walking briskly to the doors, the other three in tow behind him.

"Where do we search first, Garrus?" James asked as he checked his pistol.

"Joker will drop us as close to the beam as he can. From there, we're going to move outwards. Tali, I want you checking for vital signs. Javik, you've got the north. Liara, James, take the south and east. I'll go west." Garrus glanced at the four of them. "We're finding her, dead or alive, today. No excuses. We're clear?"

"You seem a little tense." Tali laughed.

"I am a little tense." Garrus replied.

"Don't be." James grinned. "Lola had to have made it out. She wouldn't be Lola if she didn't."

Garrus really had to ask Jane about that pet name later.

Joker dropped them at the site and the five of them hopped off of the platform before Joker could even land. Tali stayed nearby the ship, scanning the area, and she sent out Chiktikka to buffer her signal. The other four started to search around. Garrus walked briskly, searching as much as he could. He didn't even know where to begin. The landing zone had so much rubble, it was impossible to tell where she could be. He didn't think she could go far, though. He moved one of the blocks of concrete with some effort, and used it as a stepping stone to get on top of some of the rubble.

He kept wandering along the perimeter, looking into every crevice that he could. All the while, his heart was racing. Where was she? Why couldn't she give them some kind of sign? He got down to his knees at one crevice and used his omni-tool to flash a light inside. Then, he raised his hands to his comm device.

"Tali, anything?"

_"Not yet Garrus. Don't worry. We'll keep looking."_

He nearly swore as he lowered his hand. Damn. He had never felt this jumpy or panicked in his life. It was amazing what kind of anxiety love could give a man. He just wanted to find Jane, pick her up, keep her close, and never let her go and do these stupid things that Jane always did. Reckless. That was what Jane was. Positively reckless and stubborn. He hopped over some more concrete and frowned, staring around. If only there was some kind of focusing point...

_"Vega! I'm detecting signs of life near your position. They're faint, but there! Hurry!"_ Tali called urgently.

Garrus whipped his head around to locate where James was. He even noticed that Liara had stopped to stare in Vega's direction. Vega was now turning, his head craning to look into the dark crevices in the rubble, before he stomped over to a portion with two tall walls. Then, Garrus saw James jump and run straight in between the two walls.

_"I FOUND HER!"_

Garrus found himself stumbling over the rubble, running towards Vega's position. Javik was calmly walking back to the center, while Liara rushed towards Vega as well. Tali ran back inside the ship to get a stretcher down to the shuttle bay, while Vega communicated with them all.

_"She's breathing. Oh shit, she looks bad."_

"Hold on, Vega, we're coming in."

_"Jesus Christ... Garrus her armor..."_

"I know. Burned." Garrus growled.

Garrus climbed onto the rubble and ran to Vega's position. When he got close, he saw that the two walls was perhaps the best defensive position that could be thought of; it had two narrow exposed sides, and an easy escape route. He stumbled on another piece of rubble and grabbed the wall for support, staring into the hole.

Shepard was breathing erratically, loud gasps sounding through the space. Her head was being cradled in Vega's lap as Vega tried to keep her breathing passages clear. Her armor was burned onto her skin in places. Horrible red welts appeared in the places where the armor had been stripped away. Her pistol was beside her bloody hand. Her eyes were closed, clenched shut. Strands of her hair had been burnt away. Her face was cut up and bleeding. Garrus stared. Any longer in waiting and she likely would've died of infection. How had she survived this long?

He collapsed beside her and his talons shakily touched her arm. Already he was beating himself up for leaving her, for getting injured enough that he couldn't continue. He raised his other hand shakily towards his comm device.

"Where's that stretcher Tali!"

_"We're coming as fast as we can, Garrus!"_ Tali barked back over the comm.

* * *

The small infirmary had barely enough resources, and Garrus only knew that because Miranda had bitterly stated so perhaps ten times by now. Day and night, Miranda, Chakwas and a medical team had worked on Shepard, cleaning her wounds and prying her armor off of her body. Miranda had explained that the only way that Shepard had survived was because of her synthetic parts. They weren't going to keep her alive much longer if they hadn't gotten to her when they did though.

Garrus, meanwhile, had not left the infirmary for a moment. When he was told to leave her room, he stood outside the door, looking in at what they were doing through a window. Otherwise, he had sat at her bedside. Tali normally brought him food, which he had eaten mechanically and only because he knew he had to.

Ashley had been the one to talk to Hackett after they found the Commander. She had taken over much of the operations on the Normandy. She was also the one that convinced Hackett to wait until Shepard regained consciousness to make a decision about what to do about the Normandy, which was something that Garrus appreciated.

When Tali came in to make sure that Garrus kept himself fed, he hadn't responded when she called his name from the door. The quarian walked into the room with a box of food, and smiled faintly at the sight. The turian had fallen asleep, his forehead on Shepard's bed, his talons grasped around her left hand. Tali shook her head.

"Finally." She murmered as she came to set the food down on the bedside table beside Garrus' chair.

"Finally what?" called a hoarse voice from the bed.

Tali turned her head to find the human female's blue eyes open... not only that but they were alert. The commander was bandaged in most parts of her body and looked like a quarian corpse, a quarian corpse that was being prepped for burial. Tali turned, placing a hand on her hip, grinning.

"Commander! You scared the shit out of everyone."

"I did?" Shepard's hoarse voice croaked, and her eyes trailed around her surroundings. "Wait... I lived?"

"Somehow. You've got something watching you, Shepard. I don't suggest that you piss it off." Tali walked around Garrus' sleeping form and placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder. Shepard winced.

"I feel like someone decided to club me over every inch of my body."

"I hear that's what it feels like to barely escape death." Tali replied wryly. She shook her head. "But you'd know all about that."

"The last time I died, it was by suffocation. There wasn't much bruising." Shepard replied back, and she winced. "How long...?"

"Were you out, or since the Citadel?"

"I guess both..."

"Well, about two weeks since the Citadel. Miranda and Chakwas did a wonderful job of patching you up." She nodded her head towards Garrus. "He hasn't left your side since we found you. You've found yourself an angel, Shepard."

Shepard pried her hand out of Garrus' grip and stroked the spikes on his head. Garrus growled in his sleep. "An archangel, you mean?"

"What?" Tali asked. She tilted her head to the side questioningly.

"Never mind..." Shepard smiled quietly. "Tali... I think I'd like to say hi to the rest of the crew. Could you tell them I'm okay?"

Tali laughed, which caused Garrus to stir. "I think I'll wait. I'll get out of your way though."

"Mrrnph?" Garrus turned his head groggily, staring up at Tali blearily. "Who are you talking to...?"

"Your girlfriend, you silly turian." Tali replied. She waved and left the room, leaving Garrus to be incredibly confused.

"What the hell...?"

"Morning, Garrus."

It took Garrus a moment to register what he was hearing. It took him even longer to realize that the woman smiling at him weakly was actually awake, was actually there in front of him. Then, when all of these things clicked in his head, his arms lightly wrapped around her, although he wanted so desperately to hold her tight. She embraced him back weakly, keeping her arms locked around his waist as he held her close. She kissed the side of his face gently, and he nuzzled into her neck. She chuckled a little, stroking his back through his armor, while he kept his face buried into her collarbone. He was breathing shakily, and then he seemed to let all of the tension out, releasing it in one long grunt of satisfaction. This was sufficient proof; Shepard was alive.

"Jane."

He felt her body tense and her head turn towards his face. "You... called me by my first name?"

"Never do that again." He growled, completely ignoring her shock.

There was a long pause, before Shepard laughed weakly. "Well... Hopefully we won't have to." She said quietly as she took a finger and raised his chin. Garrus stared into her blue eyes for a long time, his forehead resting on hers. Then, she tilted her head and kissed him tenderly.

* * *

_Three Months Later_

He knew that rehabilitation was exhausting for Shepard. The medical staff had high doubts that she would ever get back to her previous strength. Garrus just justified it to her by stating that even if she were to go back into military service, all she did was sit behind cover and take his shots with her sniper rifle anyway. That had earned him a surprisingly strong punch in the arm, and that was the point where Garrus knew that she'd be perfectly fine.

Most of the non-human crew of the Normandy occupied their free time by helping the stranded members of their races on Earth. Earth had become a centre point for the races of the Citadel. Earth had been very accomodating for their guests, and had devoted their resources to not only building shelters for their kind, but also for the other races. They all seemed to be getting along and working together for now, which delighted the optimistic Shepard. Garrus was sceptical but he wouldn't say a word.

The turian walked into the wing where Shepard was staying. After her initial recovery, Shepard had been moved to slightly more private rooms. Garrus certainly didn't mind. After all that she had done for the galaxy, she deserved to at least have that. Hell, she deserved the universe if they had the resources to give it to her, but of course, Jane would never ask for such a thing.

He made his way to the room where Jane was staying and knocked before he opened the door. It wasn't a courtesy for Jane, but it was a courtesy for the specialists that came in to check her progress. He opened the door and spotted Jane on the other side of the room near the balcony doors. She was wearing a white sundress, one that flowed over her curves in a graceful and feminine manner. Her hair was down around her shoulders, only adding to the look. Garrus had always been a bit alarmed when she saw that most of her off-ship clothing consisted of simple yet elegant and feminine clothing, but in a way, he didn't question. Jane had always been incredibly polite, and while she could raise her voice if she had to, she didn't raise her voice if she didn't have to. A very different approach to command than Garrus was used to, but he had learned to love it.

But while Garrus had been admiring her from afar, he came to the realization that she was talking with a familiar sight. He looked at the hologram in front of Jane and realized he had stumbled in on a conversation between the two of them.

"You're sure?"

"Admiral, there are plenty of better candidates for that position." Jane replied back in a smooth tone. "If I do resume my service, I can't ever see myself in the position of Rear Admiral. I like the feel of one ship crew, not hundreds of ships. I also have my Spectre enlistment to consider."

Garrus spotted the admiral looking at her with a curious look in his eye. "I would've thought that after everything that you've done, you'd enjoy a smooth path to the top of your career track."

Jane laughed softly. "I'm either completely retiring or I'll be on the Normandy for the rest of my life. I still haven't made that decision yet. We'll see how able I feel after I leave this hospital."

The admiral examined her for a moment and nodded. "Captain."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Captain would give you a promotion and would leave you in a position where you can ascend the ranks when you're ready to." Admiral Hackett laughed gravelly. "I sometimes forget how young you are Shepard."

"It's easy to forget. I forgot daily." Jane smirked and folded her arms. "If you insist, I'll accept. I like the ring of Captain Shepard. Am I getting back the Normandy?"

"The Normandy has been grounded for repairs, to make sure that all systems check out. Your crew did fabulous repairs with the resources they had, but there were some things they just couldn't get cleaned up. When they're done, we'll be releasing back to you Captain."

"And my crew?"

"You will be gaining some of them back. There are a lot of members that we had to relocate. We couldn't afford to have them sitting around. However, you are free to do your own recruitment."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "I am?"

"It's technically the ship of a Council Spectre, not an Alliance Captain." Garrus could've sworn he saw Hackett wink. "Take from that what you will."

Jane grinned wickedly. "Brilliant."

Hackett smiled. "Take care of yourself Shepard. Send reports about your progress."

"Yes sir."

The feed cut and Garrus finally walked fully into the room. The door shut with a hiss behind him and Jane looked up and over at him. Garrus nodded at her and smiled faintly.

"So. Whatever happened to retiring somewhere warm and tropical?"

"You heard that, huh?"

"Most of it." Garrus walked to her side and stared out the window at the view. The city of London was slowly starting to look normal. Crews worked day and night to get the city running. It would be a long time before it looked like it was, and frankly Garrus was getting tired of the constant rain. He once asked Shepard about that, and she told him that the two things you never wanted to forget in London was your omni-tool and your rain shield.

"Well... my thoughts were that the galaxy still needs all the help it can get. I wouldn't want to abandon them in this kind of fragile condition. It wouldn't seem right. All of our friends are doing their part... I want to do mine as well."

Garrus sighed and shook his head. He wrapped an arm around Jane's waist, and Jane instinctively laid her head on his tall shoulder. "I guess so."

"Hey. I promise, no more Reapers."

Garrus looked down at the top of Jane's head in bemusement. "You're sure about that?"

"I THINK I got them all." Jane looked up at him and grinned mischievously, which made Garrus' heart skip a beat. "Can't say for sure but I've just got a feeling."

"Alright. No more Reapers. So what do we do then, Captain?" Garrus rumbled.

"Simple. We take supplies where they're needed. We settle disputes where its needed. We fight to keep galactic peace. We do exactly what we did the entire time the Reapers were a threat, except that we don't have the Reapers."

"Fair enough." Garrus commented, and he looked back out the window. "What about the bullets? Are there no bullets?"

"Oh don't worry, there will probably be plenty of bullets. These ones will be smaller than Reaper bullets though. The worst that'll happen is you might have to catch another rocket."

"I'll try to use my hands this time."

"What did I tell you about knowing when to duck?"

Garrus smirked and squeezed the woman's side with affection. "I told you already, Jane. Turians don't know how."

* * *

**Chapter Notes**

Thank you to everyone for sticking with me over the last few days. I hope to release many many more fics based in this universe. I still want to bring in Solana, and I still want to resolve Joker's and Liara's plots. There's also more characters that I want to give more love to. This chapter's rewrite means a rewrite of the first chapter of my next fic. The title of the next fic, I have the temporary title of "At Your Three", and I kind of like it.

Also, I apologize for the quick updates. They probably seemed like too much. However I didn't see a reason not to release updates if I had the chapters already in hand and I was satisfied with them.


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